Diminishing
by 7starfish7
Summary: "Captain", Began Olivia, "I'm telling you, something was going on in there. It's no coincidence that I bust someone for prostitution and then the guy erases the security footage. This girl knew me. She knew my name."
1. Chapter 1

**Year - 1999**

"Damn!" Cursed Munch as he slammed the phone on his desk. "That's the fourth missing girl this month. Same age as Samantha Rollings, Kelly Shertell, and Anabell Foster." He shook his head and walked over to the bulletin board that held their leads on the case. "All four girls were taken from Chelsea, around 2pm, all on a weekday. Its like he's waiting for the ones who walk home from school."

"And nobody's seen him?" Asked Olivia, who was listening from her desk. "This is his fourth victim. Samantha couldn't have been his first; he's too smart." Olivia walked over to the bulletin board and pointed at the area on the map that the girls where taken. "Our best chance at catching this guy is staking out the schools and waiting for him to strike."

"Yeah but there's no way to tell when he will strike and we can't just hang out at elementary schools all week."

Olivia shrugged. "So we'll split them up. Elliot and I can take Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you and Jeffries can take Tuesday and Thursday."

"Talk to Cragen but I'm okay with that."

Olivia nodded in agreement. "Lets go find this son of a bitch."

* * *

><p><strong>Location- St. Marry's Elementary School<strong>

"Anything?" Asked Elliot as he stared out the window of the squad car.

"Nothing." Olivia sighed.

They had been sitting in the parking lot across from the school for almost three hours. School had been out for a while but with no new cases they decided to stay until the extra curricular programs were out as well.

There was a lone girl, walking along the side of the school, wearing a soccer jersey and struggling with her backpack and various books. There was a man following her close behind but far enough to where she would not hear him.

"Hold on a second." Said Olivia. "We may have something."

The man stalked closer and Olivia and Elliot both raced out of the car and towards the scene, guns raised.

"Police", shouted Elliot, "Move away from her!" The man instantly froze with his hands in the air as Olivia rushed towards the little girl and Elliot towards the man.

"What's going on?" The man asked. "I didn't do anything?"

"Yeah?" Asked Elliot sarcastically. "There a reason you're following this little girl?"

At his words the girl backed away from Olivia and ran to hug the man around the waist. His arms fell from the air and closed around the girl's small frame in a comforting embrace. "Yeah", he said, "there is. She's my daughter."

* * *

><p><strong>Location - 16 Precinct.<strong>

"What a waste." Sighed Olivia as she flopped back into her chair.

"We'll get him." Said Elliot reassuringly.

Olivia shook her head. "Before or after he takes another girl?"

Elliot disregarded her comment. Cases with little girls got to him the worst. Having three girls of his own, he couldn't help but see their faces in every victim that walked through their door. "We don't have any bodies. Those girls could still be alive."

Olivia scoffed. "With this sick bastard, I'm not sure that's such a good thing."

"Excuse me." Said a small, tentative, voice from the side of Olivia's desk. "Are you Detective Benson?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes", she said, looking down at the little girl before her, "How can I help you, sweetie."

"You and that man", she began, pointing at Elliot, "talked to my friend Ania today. You told her you thought she was in trouble. You were going to save her?"

Elliot rose from his side of the desk and walked behind Olivia's chair. "Yeah", he said, facing the girl, "We were."

The girl nodded, her face to the floor. "How?" She sounded as if she was about to cry at any moment.

"Sweetie is there something you would like to tell us?" Asked Olivia.

The girl shook her head. "How?" She repeated.

"We would have taken her away from the people who were hurting her." Said Elliot as he crouched down so he would be eye level with the girl. "What's your name?"

Again the girl shook her head. "And you don't have to do anything else? You just take her away and that's it?"

Olivia looked at Elliot, her concern mirrored his own. "Well first we would have to talk with her parents and see if they know who hurt her."

The girl was quiet with her eyes still on the floor.

Elliot gently lifted her chin with his index finger so his eyes would meet hers. "If someone if hurting you, all you have to do is tell us and we will stop it."

"What if its her parents?" She asked. "What if they are the ones she needs to get away from? Will you have to talk to them still?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, honey, we would have to talk to them so we can know what they did and punish them for it."

"And they would go to jail?"

Olivia nodded again. "Sweetheart, what's your name?"

"Jane." She said. "Do you have to talk to them?"

"Jane", Olivia began, "We have to talk to your parents but I promise you, if you tell us what happened, they will never hurt you again."

"I never said they did!" She shrieked. "No! No, you can't talk to them! I want to go home! I want to go home now!"

Elliot gently held the little girls trembling shoulders in an attempt to sooth her rage. "Shhh, its okay." He cooed. "Its alright, calm down. Its okay. You're okay."

"I want to go home." She pleaded. "Please."

Olivia looked at Elliot, not sure of what to make of the situation. "Okay honey why don't you go sit down over there", she said, pointing to the chairs against the door, "And we'll figure out how to get you home."

The little girl nodded and walked over to the sit by the wall, her head hung down the whole time.

"What do you want to do?" Asked Olivia. "This little girl is terrified. We can't send her home but unless she tells us anything we can't keep her either."

Elliot bit his lip. "I don't know. Maybe we can give her a ride and check out the parents when we get there?"

Olivia looked at the little girl, who was still trembling in the chair. "I don't want to take her back there. I'm going to see what I can get out of her. Maybe if I can get a last name we can search the parents."

Elliot nodded and watched as Olivia walked over to the little girl; only to return seconds later. "Nothing?" He asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Just that her name is Jane Doe."

Elliot chuckled. "Well she definitely didn't come up with that."

Olivia nodded. "Something's not right and she's not going to tell us anything."

"You wanna go check out the parents?" Asked Elliot.

Olivia nodded and they both headed over to the little girl and, begrudgingly, got her to agree to take her home.

"How did you get here?" Asked Elliot once they were in the car.

She remained quiet.

Olivia looked back at her from the passenger seat. "Did someone drive you here?"

Silence.

"Did you take a bus?"

Silence.

"Did you walk?"

The little girl sighed and strained in her seat to see out the windshield. "Turn left here." She said to Elliot. "Then go straight."

"We've been driving for a while." Said Elliot. "This is a pretty far walk." She said nothing. "Do your parents always let you roam around the city alone?" Still she said nothing. "Do they even know you are out?"

The little girl braided her fingers in her lap as her eyes began to water. "I don't want to talk about them."

"Why not?" Asked Olivia. "What do they do?"

Her tears threatened to spill over and she quickly wiped them away before they could touch her cheeks. "Pull over." She whispered. "Your going to talk to them. Your going to tell them I went to see you."

"Not if you tell us what they did." Said Olivia. "You don't have to go back there if you'll just talk to us."

"Pull over!" Erupted the little girl. And then she got quiet. "Please." She whispered. "I'm going to be sick."

Elliot nodded and pulled off to the side of the rode. The second the little girl stepped out of the car, she was in a full blown sprint towards oncoming traffic.

"Stop!" Screamed Olivia. "You're going to get hurt! Come Back!"

Elliot and Olivia chased after her but with some cars coming to a halt and others swerving to avoid getting hit, they soon found themselves boxed in in the middle of the street and the little girl nowhere to be found.

"You see her?" Asked Olivia.

Elliot shook his head. "No Liv", he began, "she's gone."

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><p><strong>What do you think so far? Review?<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**2009**

"Damn." Said Fin as he closed the folder on his desk. "This case is going cold fast."

Munch nodded in agreement. "Look on the bright side", he said, "Oh wait, there is no Brightside."

For the last three months, dead bodies had been showing up in the Hudson river. All the bodies were female, teens, and had scars from repeated abuse. All trace evidence had been washed away but each body shared the same distinguishing ligature marks at the wrists and ankles from being repeatedly tied down.

No one had reported anyone missing that fit the description of any of the girls and with no witnesses everyone at the 16 was at a loss.

"Where are Stabler and Benson?" Asked Munch as he went to fill his coffee cup. He motioned over to Fin, silently asking if he wanted a refill. Fin feigned disgust and shook his head, knowing Munch had made the coffee.

"They're questioning the people who found the first body. With luck, maybe they can find some similarities."

Munch shrugged. "So I guess they will also be missing out on my magnificent coffee."

Fin chuckled. "That's probably why they left in the first place."

Munch put his hand over his heart and gasped. "You know what, my friend," he began, "that hurt." Munch sat down and pouted for a moment before sneaking a glance over at Fin, who now shared the same smirk.

Fin chuckled. "Leave it to your boney ass to make me laugh at a time like this."

Munch smiled. "Glad my boney ass could be of service. Call Benson and Stabler and see where they are. With any luck they're near that coffee place you all like and can pick something up."

"If only." Said Fin and he picked up the phone.

* * *

><p><strong>Location - Pauly Shore's Eatery<strong>

"Yeah, no problem Fin." Said Elliot into his phone. "We just stopped for a quick bite but we'll get your coffee. Hey, anything to keep you from drinking the Munch Sludge." Elliot laughed at whatever Fin had said in reply and picked up a menu from the table. "You guys want anything from this new Sandwich place?" There was a silence and he laughed again. "Tell Munch he doesn't always have to eat kosher. Alright, we'll be back soon. Bye."

Olivia smiled. "I take it Munch made coffee?"

Elliot nodded. "We should spray perps with that instead of mace. It would definitely do more damage."

"Yeah, well I could use a cup of coffee after a day like this, even if it is Munch Sludge." She chuckled and got up from the table. "I'm just going to run to the restroom real quick and then we can go."

Elliot nodded and she walked away. The restaurant was small but Olivia noticed that a lot of businessmen were seated in the place. The decorations were expensive and every wall had a security camera. Had she not know it was a small hole-in-the-wall place in Chelsea, she would swear it was some high class restaurant in upper Manhattan.

Except when she got to the restrooms her opinion completely changed. There was grime on the walls and each stall came equipped with a bowl of condoms on the tank of each toilet. The seats were stained with God only knows what and Olivia couldn't bring herself to actually sit down, even with a paper cover.

The only thing she would be doing in that restroom was washing her hands; now having the undeniable urge to do so. She looked in the mirror above the sinks and noted the two people in what she could see of the closed stall behind her.

She turned the water on and pretended not to hear the groaning from the man standing, or the gagging from the person on their knees.

Though her instinct told her the situation was consensual, having not heard any screaming or struggling, their wasn't a doubt in her mind that this wasn't prostitution. She was about to knock on the stall when it suddenly flew open and a man stepped out.

He grinned at her as he walked away. Olivia noted the girl, getting up from the floor and decided that she was more important than arresting yet another random john for solicitation.

"Are you okay?" She asked as the girl made her way to the sink.

She said nothing as she rinsed her mouth and wiped the smeared makeup from her face. It wasn't until the girl caught sight of Olivia in the mirror that she said somthing.

"Olivia?" She asked, unsure if her eyes were deceiving her.

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows. "Have we met?"

The girl froze. "Yeah, well . . . No. . . sorta. Why are- What are you doing here?"

Olivia stepped forward and handed a paper towel to the girl, which she accepted and wiped off the traces of water from her face. "I was having lunch. Do you want to tell me what was going on in there?" She asked, gesturing to the stall.

The girl shook her head. "You can't be here." She stated plainly.

Olivia raised her eyebrows at the girl's words. "Why not?"

"Are you here alone?" The girl asked, concerned. Olivia was about to speak when a small bell sounded and the girl's eyes changed to panic as she quickly ushered Olivia out of the room. "You have to leave." She said, worriedly.

"Wait a minute." Said Olivia in response to her panic. "What's going on? How do you know my name?"

Again the bell sounded. "Olivia, please, I'll come by the station tomorrow and explain everything but you have to go now."

Then with one final push, she had Olivia out of the restroom and quickly shut and locked the door behind her.

Olivia scanned the now bare restaurant for Elliot and noted that he was outside, standing by the window, next to the table they were seated at.

"Elliot, what's going on?" She asked when she was outside the restaurant.

He turned around and shrugged. "They were closing to get ready for the dinner rush."

Olivia shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean. Something is going on in there. There was a girl in the bathroom, I think she's in trouble."

"Then what the hell are we doing out here?" He asked as he made his way back to the door.

"Elliot, wait." Said Olivia. She placed her hand on his shoulder to halt his actions. "I think this is some kind of whore house. There was a man in there with her and then a bell rang after he left. I'm pretty sure that means she has another client."

Elliot knocked on the now locked door of the restaurant. "Only one way to find out." He said.

From where they were standing, by the windows, they could see a man behind the counter organizing the money in the register. The man from behind the counter mouthed "closed" to Elliot and returned to straitening up his station. Elliot knocked on the door again and this time flashed his badge.

Slowly, hesitantly, the man unlocked the door. Elliot and Olivia both rushed in to the back and pounded on the bathroom door.

"Open this door!" Shouted Elliot.

Olivia turned to the man behind her. "Do you have a key?"

The man waited a moment and then nodded. He slowly walked back to the register and pushed a few buttons till it opened. He seemed to be taking his time, stalling.

"Can you hurry it up?" Asked Elliot, harshly.

The man nodded and walked over to Elliot and placed the key in the door. Elliot didn't even wait till the knob was fully turned before he pushed it open.

Elliot and Olivia kicked open every stall and searched every inch of the restaurant. There was nothing. Even in the bathroom, nothing.

"See", said the man, smugly, "No one's here."

Elliot looked at Olivia, questioningly.

"I know there was someone here." Said Olivia. "Sir, we are going to need to see your security footage."

The man nodded. "Of course." He walked back behind the counter and began pushing away at random buttons on one of the security monitors. "Everything here is filmed and put on to one DVD." The man turned back and smiled at them.

"Oh, look at that", he said, feigning regret, "I accidentally pushed erase. Sorry."

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><p><strong>Sorry this took so long. I update faster on the story that gets the most reviews so this got put a little behind. <strong>

**Hopefully it wont take too long before the next chapter is up.**

**Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm not doubting that there wasn't something going on there but without a complaining witness and footage what do you want me to do?" Asked Cragen. Ever since Olivia had returned for the restaurant she had done nothing but argue about perusing the case that Cragen wasn't sure existed. "We can't get a warrant with just hear say and for all you know this could have been an isolated incident that just so happened to have taken place in that restaurant."

"Captain", Began Olivia, "I'm telling you, something was going on in there. It's no coincidence that I bust someone for prostitution and then the guy erases the security footage. This girl knew me. She knew my name. What if she was one of our victims and I just don't remember?" She was getting frustrated, knowing his answer would be the same no matter what tactic she tried. "If she has already been victimized once then why the hell are we just standing back and watching as it happens again?"

Cragen sighed. "Olivia, you don't know this girl. You said it yourself. What if instead of a victim she's just one of the many prostitutes you have collared over the years?"

Olivia sat back on the edge of her desk. He made sense but Olivia refused to believe that anything short of major crime had taken place in that bathroom. "That girl couldn't have been more than fifteen." She began. "So at the very least, it was child prostitution and you can't expect me to just sit by and do nothing."

That got him. She could tell. "She said she would come by the station tomorrow; if she's not here by noon, I'm going back there." She looked at Cragen with pleading eyes. "I know this girl is in trouble. She freaked out when she saw I was there."

"Probably because you just caught her with some guy in the bathroom stall."

"No!" She interrupted. "It was almost as if she was afraid for me. You should have seen the desperation on this girl's face."

Cragen was stern but nodded his head. "You have tomorrow. But this is not high priority and that's all the time I'm giving you unless something comes up. Understand?"

She nodded. "Yes Captain."

"Good." He said. "Now, why don't you start by checking out the owner of the restaurant."

Olivia nodded and turned to her desk, eager to see what was in the man's background.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it, Liv?" Said Elliot from across the desk.

She didn't look up but instead nodded from her computer and continued reading. "It says here that Pauley's real name is Nickolas Romdinski."

"Sound's Polish." He said.

Again she nodded. "No criminal background but all that means is he hasn't been caught."

Elliot looked at her, and took in her pensive state. "Are you sure you're not making too big a deal out of this? I'm not doubting that something was going on there; that guy was definitely suspicious but I'm just not exactly sure what you're expecting to find here."

Finally, she looked up at him. "I know there is something going on there. I don't know what, exactly, but its not good. That girl was afraid of something and it certainly wasn't the guy she had in the stall."

"And you're sure she wasn't just worried about being busted?"

"I'm sure. Call it Detective's intuition."

Elliot scoffed. "I didn't get that vibe."

"Well then call it women's intuition. Call it a monkey's ass for all I care just shut up and help me." She smiled at him and they both chuckled a bit before Elliot turned on his computer and began searching for anything that could give them reason for a warrant.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

"Olivia." Cried Kathy as she headed over to Olivia's desk, Eli in hand. "Where's Elliot?"

Olivia stood from her desk immediately and met Kathy half way down the room. She was obviously distressed and after her last few encounters with Kathy, Olivia had quickly become the one she went to for help. "He's interviewing a suspect", she began, relieving Kathy of the squirming child, "Is everything alright?

"No", she began, "Kathleen was just picked up in Brooklyn for a DUI."

Olivia sighed. Kathleen had been getting in a lot of trouble lately. It was only a few weeks ago that she and her boyfriend had taken a little shopping spree courtesy of her father's stolen credit card.

"Okay", said Olivia, "Why don't you go grab a soda or something, relax, while you wait for him. Don't worry about Eli." She scooted the child higher up in her arms. "I've got him."

Kathy sighed in relief. "You sure?"

"Yeah", she said nudging her head in the direction of the hall, "Go relax."

With a quick 'thanks Olivia' Kathy practically sprinted down the hall. She was clearly overwhelmed and it was all Olivia could do to give her that three seconds of calm before she and Elliot created a storm.

Their marriage had been rocky at best. After Eli was born things had gotten better but the past few months had been difficult. She would often find Elliot in the cribs or taking extra shifts to avoid going home.

She smiled at Eli as she sat down in her desk. "Hey, Buddy." She cooed. "I haven't seen you since you were born. Do you remember me?"

"Of course I do", Said Munch, in a baby voice, "You're the nice lady that got me and my mommy out of the wreck."

She smiled up at Munch. "What a day that was, huh Munch."

He smiled but continued to look down at Eli. "Whose Munch? I'm Eli and by the looks of my face I'd say I'm either making a stinky or thinking very hard."

Olivia chuckled. "Very cute, Munch", she said, "I hope the latter." Olivia looked beside her desk, happy to see that Kathy had dropped the diaper bag with her before heading down the hall. "Okay, Eli", she began, "I haven't done this before so you're going to have to be a very good boy and not squirm or kick okay?"

There was a chuckle from the end of her desk and Olivia looked up to see who was there, and clearly laughing at her awkwardness.

"Need some help?" The girl laughed.

Olivia, who was still trying to figure out how to take off the diaper, couldn't believe her eyes. "I didn't think I would be seeing you again." She said. "You didn't really seem like you wanted to talk yesterday."

The girl nodded and stepped forward. "I didn't know you had a kid." She began. "He's beautiful but he's all his father. I don't see you in him at all."

"That's because he's mine." Said Kathy as she was heading back towards the desk. "Here, Olivia, let me take care of that." She said, gesturing to the diaper. "It looks like your busy."

Olivia smiled, thankful she didn't have to change Eli, and led the girl down one of the halls and to an empty interview room.

"I've got say", began Olivia, "I'm surprised to see you but I'm glad you came."

"You are?" She asked, surprised

"Yeah", said Olivia as she sat down across the table. "You had me worried."

The girl smiled. "You don't need to worry about me, Olivia, I can take care of myself."

And then she got serious. It was time to get some answers. "You, obviously, know me." She began, "But I can't seem to remember how."

"It'll come to you." She said.

But that wasn't good enough for Olivia. She needed to know. There was something eerily familiar about this girl and the detective in her wouldn't rest until she found out what it was. "What's your name?" She asked.

The girl smiled. "Jane."

And that's when it all came rushing back.

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><p><strong>Review here or on twitter bitchstolemynam<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my God." Gasped Olivia as recognition took over. It was years ago; ten to be exact, but she remembered it like it all happened yesterday.

She remembered the little girl's sad eyes as she begged for help in the only way she new how. She remembered the manic sounds of her shrieking at the thought of seeing her parents again. But most of all, she remembered her dashing out into traffic if only to get out of there sight.

And she did.

And that was the last time she had seen her.

Ten years ago.

"Oh my God." She said again. "How did- what happened to you?"

She glanced at the floor briefly before meeting Olivia's eyes. "Its not important." She sighed. "But what is important is why you were at Pauly's. You shouldn't have come there, Olivia. You shouldn't have been asking questions."

Olivia sat back in the chair, showing no sign of backing down. "Why not?"

The girl recognized her change in demeanor. She knew this was no longer a consensual encounter but now an interrogation. "Why not what?" She asked.

"Why shouldn't I have been there?" She snapped. She was in no mood to play games.

"Its not safe." Her answer was brief and vague and Olivia could tell this was going to be a challenge.

"Why isn't it safe?"

The girl smiled. "Like you don't already know."

"I don't."

The girl rested her hands on the table and leaned forward. "Then why were you there?"

"I was having lunch." She said. And she was. Until the scene in the bathroom she had no idea that anything illegal was going on in there. "Why were you there."

"Same." She smirked. "lunch."

Olivia hid her disgust well but that did not change the fact that she was concerned for this girl's well being. "How old are you?"

"Old enough."

"For what?"

"Old enough to know when I'm being interrogated." She snapped.

Olivia smiled. Now, she was getting somewhere. "Have you spoken to the police before?"

Again the girl smirked. "C'mon, Olivia, you know the answer to that. Why don't you stop beating around the bush and ask what you really want to know."

Olivia nodded. This girl was bold. "What happened all those years ago? Where did you go?"

The girl was quiet and Olivia could tell that she was contemplating her answer. "Do you want the truth?" She asked.

Olivia nodded.

"I can't." She said, plainly.

Olivia scoffed. "Well, now whose beating around the bush?"

"You don't understand!" She exclaimed.

"Then help me understand!" She was worried. This girl had come to her years ago, begging for help, and then she disappeared only to be found sucking some guy off in the bathroom. She had to admit this was a first. "Tell me what happened."

The girl stood up from her chair and backed into one of the corners in the interview room. Olivia stood and followed her, a technique she used to intimidate perps into telling the truth. She closed the distance between them and she could feel the girl tense.

There eyes met and all of the confidence the girl once possessed flew from her as she met Olivia's unwavering gaze. "I can't." She said softly. "I'll get in trouble."

Olivia backed away a bit and the girl slid out from the gap and sat back in the chair. Olivia remained standing. "Get in trouble with who?"

The girl looked down, her words were as soft as they had been years ago. "You."

Olivia understood and sat back down. Although this girl wouldn't directly be in trouble with her, Olivia knew that this girl had done things that would warrant arrest and regardless of their history, Olivia was still a cop.

"Jane." She said softly. "Whatever you did, you did to survive. You came to me years ago asking for help." Her voice was gentle, the ones she used for victims. "I couldn't help you then but let me help you now."

Her eyes were wet with unshed tears but she forced herself to look at Olivia. "How?" She asked.

Olivia reached over the table and grabbed the girls hand, squeezing gently. "By getting you out of the situation you're in. But I can't do that without your help."

She chuckled, hopelessly, and took her hand out of Olivia's grasp. "How am I supposed to help you?" She asked.

"By answering my questions; starting with how old you are."

The girl chewed on her lip and nodded. "Fifteen." She said, hesitantly.

"And what's your name? Your real name."

The girl swallowed the lump in her throat. "Amber."

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><p><strong>I know this is short but it wouldn't have worked if I put this and the next chapter together. So, things are going to get intense from here on out. If that offends you then this is where I would stop. <strong>

**Feel free to leave me a review here or on twitter bitchstolemynam**

** I love hearing your thoughts.**


	5. Chapter 5

Fin and Munch were staring at the cold faces on the screen before them. This was the sixth body they had found in the Hudson River. All the girls bared the same marks of abuse. All traces of evidence had been washed away. And all of the victims were listed as Jane Doe.

The only thing that differed between the girls were the brutal ways in which they had died. Jane Doe 459 suffered a broken neck. Jane Doe 261 had been drowned. The throat was slit on Jane Doe 242 and it only got worse from there.

"This sick bastard is getting creative." Said Munch as he turned to Fin. "Do we have any information on our latest Jane Doe?"

* * *

><p>"I was running down the street for what seemed like hours; maybe it was. I just remember being so tired and hungry and I saw this all night diner and I thought that maybe I could stay there for the night." Amber played with her fingers in her lap, unable to look Olivia in the eyes. "There was this guy. He bought me some soup and he said I could go home with him and he would be my new daddy. A good Daddy, and he would never hurt me."<p>

"Do you remember his name?" Asked Olivia.

She nodded. "Doug Clark."

"Okay, Amber, what happened when you went home with him?"

Her lip began to tremble. "I think you have a pretty good idea of what happened, Olivia. What grown man just takes home a random little girl?" Olivia remained quiet and Amber knew she would have to tell her what happened eventually. She remembered from before; the only way they can help you is if you tell them what happened.

Every disgusting detail.

"He raped me. But I didn't cry. I knew that crying would only make it worse. I knew what happened when you said no."

"How did you know?"

Amber's eyes were wet with tears as she struggled to keep her composer. "My parents. When I was bad they would hurt me and when they needed money they . . . Their friends would hurt me." The tears were flowing freely now. "I was always bad, no matter what I did, it was never right."

"Amber did you ever see your parents again, after that day?"

"No", she began, "No, after that night with Doug I left. I took all of his money, or what I could find of it anyway, and left. I don't know where I went but there were other girls there. Some were about my age and some were older." She wiped the tears from her face and drew in a deep breath. "We had sex with people for money. I knew it was wrong and I knew it was illegal but I just thought that it was going to happen whether I wanted it to or not and at least this way, it was my choice." She looked at Olivia, whose expressions were blank. "Are you going to arrest me?"

Finally Olivia softened. The stoic mask she wore to keep from crying had crumbled at the girl's words. "No, honey", she began, "You are a victim. What you did, its not your fault, you were a child." She nodded but Olivia could tell she did not believe her words. "How did you wind up in that restaurant?"

She scoffed. "Olivia, you and I both know its not really a restaurant. That's just a front. We never have women in the place so I didn't know the bathroom wasn't safe." Amber leaned in and her voice took a more serious tone. "Olivia, when I saw you there, I thought- I didn't know you were just eating lunch."

Olivia nodded. "What did you think?"

Her eyes welled up again. "You didn't arrest me, so I thought you were in trouble." She drew in a shaky breath. "Not everyone there wants to be there. Some were just taken."

"Do you remember their names?"

Amber shook her head. "We don't have names. All I know is that Blondie, Luscious, and Glitter are missing. I knew Blondie from the streets. She and I shared a corner until a few months ago, when this guy pulled up and said he could make us a lot of money. He took us to the restaurant."

"What's his name?" Asked Olivia.

"I don't know. He never told me his name and I never asked. You learn not to ask. I can take you to where we usually go when he . . . When we meet. But we can't go alone." The last of the girl's words were laced with fear and Olivia nodded in understanding.

"Okay", she began, "Well, lets get my partner and we will call for backup on the way. Do you think you can get him to confess to his crimes if we get you a wire?"

Amber nodded frantically. "Whatever it takes."

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><p>"Do we have any information on our latest Jane Doe?" Asked Munch. "Anyone report a missing girl? A school I..D.? A name?"<p>

"Blondie." Whispered Amber as she walked with Olivia over to her desk. "That's Blondie. Oh my God, they killed her." Amber was shaking as she stared at the slash on Blondie's throat. Her eyes started to water she protectively brought her hands to her throat. "I gotta go," She said. 'This was a mistake. I gotta go."

And then she dashed down out of the room and down the hall towards the elevators, Olivia and Elliot following close behind.

"Amber stop!" Cried Olivia.

But it was too late.

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><p><strong>For those of you reading "Ripped" I haven't forgotten about it. I just want it to be perfect before I post the next chapter. I am also working on "Wildfire" and will probably have it up before I update anything else. (I update faster on the story that gets the most reviews. Hint Hint.) It seems like all of my stories lately have been kinda dark. Let me know if anyone has some happy (or smutty) little one-shot requests to lighten to mood.<strong>

**Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Blondie", said Munch, "Came up in the search for aliases, narrowed it down by height and age and we've got none other than Kelly Schertell." He sighed. "She went missing about ten years ago."

Olivia's eyes widened. "That was about the same time Amber first came to the station." Olivia got up from her desk and headed over to the monitor. "I remember because Elliot and I were staking out her school. That's where we met Ania and that's how Amber saw us." The pieces all started falling together. Kelly had disappeared without a trace about ten years ago. They never found a body and no one claimed to have seen her. Now, she knew, that people had seen her. People who wanted to use her and couldn't risk getting caught by going to the police and telling them what they knew.

There was a ball of anguish in Olivia's stomach, so big she feared she would choke on it. "Amber said she knew Blondie from the streets." She was more determined than ever now. "There were two other girls who disappeared the same week as Kelly Shertell; maybe she knew them too."

"Did she give you any other names?" Asked Munch.

She nodded. "Only street names; Luscious and Glitter. Munch, she said that not every girl at the restaurant wanted to be there. Some were just taken. Kelly Schertell was taken and now she's dead. She was held at that place with Amber." Her voice was laced with worry.

"We have unis checking out the restaurant, Olivia. We'll find her."

She scoffed. "Before or after she runs into anther prick who just wants to hurt her." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I wanted to help her. She just ran away."

"She's clever Olivia. No one would have expected that little girl to pull those stunts."

Olivia sighed as she remembered that day, hearing Amber's voice as if she was in the room.

_"Pull over", cried Amber_ _from the backseat. "Please, I'm going to be sick."_

"Yeah, well, maybe if we hadn't pulled over she never would have ran away and she never would have met Doug Clark." She sighed. "Fin and Elliot are checking him out right now."

"I'm surprised you didn't want to go."

"No", she said, shaking her head, "I want to be here in case Amber comes back."

The computer stopped then and a list of names appeared on the screen, along with photos and information of various prostitutes under that name. "Luscious", said Munch, "There are over three hundred girls in New York using that name. Do we have anything to narrow it down?"

Olivia shook her head. "Samantha Rollings also disappeared that week. Her school was only two miles away from Kelly Shertell's."

Munch nodded. "Curly brown hair, freckles, I remember." He typed in the description and the numbers on the list came down. "Olivia, how old was Samantha?"

She shrugged. "I'll check the files."

"Don't bother", said Elliot as he walked into the room. "She was the same age as Lizzie" Olivia smiled a small, sympathetic smile at him. She knew cases with kids got to him the worst. "Samantha would be sixteen now."

Munched typed in the age and was given a list of twelve girls. "I got this", he said. "You and Benson go over what you found on Clark."

Elliot nodded and waved his arm for Olivia to follow him over to their adjoined desks. "Doug Clark is with Fin, getting a DNA sample taken."

Olivia looked at him questioningly. "He offered up a sample."

Elliot shook his head. "There was a little girl inside his apartment. She's okay but probably wouldn't have been if we waited another second. Fin called for the warrant on the way to the M.E. There's no way Amber was his only victim. If he has any bodies, it will come up."

She smiled. "Well, that's one sick bastard off the street."

"Yeah and now you have some good news for when we find Amber."

Olivia opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Munch's shout of furry and excitement.

"What the hell did we stumble into?" He asked, pointing to a picture on the monitor. "Look familiar?"

Both Elliot and Olivia turned to the screen. They recognized the face instantly. "That's our Jane Doe with the broken neck." Stated Elliot, a slight hint of anger in his voice.

Munch nodded. "Jane Doe 459."

"Check Glitter." Olivia said, half demanding, half asking. "I'll look up the information on all the other missing girls from that case."

She had only barely made it to her desk when Cragen's door swung open, his face baring the anguish of what he was about to say.

"Benson", called Cragen from his office door, "Get down to the restaurant."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Did something happen?"

He sighed. "Uni just called. There was an explosion."

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><p>"Damn it!" Cried Olivia as they pulled up to the restaurant, or what was left of it. It had only taken her ten minutes to get there, having pushed the small squad car to its limits, weaving in and out of traffic with sirens and blinking lights.<p>

Fire trucks were parked all around the building, spraying water all over the scene, trying desperately to put out the growing flames.

"What happened?" Asked Olivia to one of the EMT's on the scene.

The man shook his head. "I don't know. We just arrived; guys are in there looking for bodies."

Her eyes widened. "There were people inside when the fire started."

The EMT nodded. "The screaming just stopped."

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><p><strong>Sorry for the wait. I've been busy. For those of you reading "Ripped" expect an update by Friday.<strong>

**Review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**_So sorry for the wait. I got writers block and when I broke through that, I got sick. I wanted to update this a few days ago but I am in the hospital and was without lap top. Thankfully, my brother dropped it off this morning. (There isn't enough morphine in the world to cure this boredom.) For those of you reading Wildfire, I am working on it but don't expect an update for a few days. I haven't forgotten about it; I am just super tired. Anyway, get your tissues ready because this chapter is a tear jerker. _**

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><p><em>It had been years since she had seen her parents and, for that, she was glad. She had a new family now and she had a new name. <em>

_She wasn't Amber here. No, Amber was scared and shy._

_She was Pristine and Pristine was fearless._

_That was what she was told when she came to this place._

_She was fed, and taken care of, as long as she behaved. _

_Pristine always behaved. She went where she was supposed to go, did what she was supposed to do, with who she was supposed to do it with. She told herself that it was okay because it was her choice._

_When she felt some strange man's hands on her, it was because she had chosen to let it happen. She was being paid and it was okay._

_That's what she told herself, to get through it._

_And, when it was over, she would go home; to a three bedroom house with twelve other girls. When it was cold, she would snuggle up to the girls who shared her bed. They looked out for each other, helped each other, dried each other's tears._

_"Sometimes I don't know what I would do without you", whispered Pristine._

_The young teenager wrapped her arms closer around Pristine's waist. "I'm always here for you", she said, "you know that."_

_Pristine relaxed into the embrace and was grateful for the contact that, for once, was not meant to cause her pain. "Can I tell you something?" She asked._

_"What?"_

_Pristine turned around and stared into her friend's tired eyes. "You're my best friend, Blondie."_

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><p>"God damn it!" Olivia screamed as she swatted a stack of files from her desk. They had just gotten back to the precinct after being briefed on the damage of the fire. Not a minute had passed before the phone rang, informing her that the body count was now up to thirteen. All of the victims were female and burnt beyond recognition. "Son of a bitch!"<p>

She kicked her desk and immediately felt the pain radiate up her leg. She didn't care. She just kept going at it until people started to stare and Elliot pulled her back and led her to the cribs.

"Calm down", he said when they were alone. "Olivia, you need to get a hold of yourself before Cragen kicks you off the case."

She scowled at him. "Since when the hell can you tell me to calm down? You're the spokesperson of rage issues and you have the nerve-"

"Olivia", he interrupted. "We don't know where Amber went. There's a good possibility that she is still alive."

"Oh, and that makes a difference", she scoffed. "Thirteen girls are dead and the number is still climbing. She warned me about that place and I still went snooping around. If I hadn't asked for the security footage they never would have been tipped off."

Olivia closed her eyes and sat down on one of the cribs. She cradled her head in her hands and drew in a deep breath. "If I had just listened."

"You couldn't have known", he said. "Olivia no one could have seen that coming. Everything was fine when we left yesterday. The fire didn't happen until this afternoon."

"How did they know?" She asked. "They didn't know we identified the bodies and there is no way Amber would have warned them. So how did they find out?"

Elliot furrowed his eyebrows. "Did they say what time the fire started?"

Olivia nodded. "A little after noon. Right about the time you brought in Clark."

Elliot scowled and began pacing. "That fucking Bastard."

"What?" Asked Olivia as she rose from the cot. "Elliot, Clark has been with us this whole time. He couldn't have tipped them off."

He shook his head and faced her. "He had his one phone call."

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><p>It was cold and windy, as Amber walked down the lonely streets of Harlem. It was late and she was tired, having ran for what seemed like hours.<p>

Her eyes were red from crying and her stomach ached in it's emptiness. She walked along the buildings, across every alley, unafraid of what was lurking in the shadows. It was almost midnight and she knew that, any minute now, she would be greeted by her weekly customer.

She balled her hands into fists as she recalled the day's events. She knew what she had to do, how to get justice for those who had fallen.

Any other night she would have taken it. Years of abuse had beaten the fight out of her but today, this one day, she was reminded of humanity and she wouldn't let that go.

She knew what was to come. She knew it was wrong. But she didn't care.

This was her life, her decision. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she reared the corner of a building and headed into an alley.

There was a dark blue Buick Century parked on the side. There was a man leaning against the car, smoking a cigarette.

Amber held her wrist as she recalled all the times he had burnt her with the painful tobacco.

"I thought you weren't going to show." He rasped as he walked towards her, flicking the ash on the ground.

Amber's voice was soft and drawn out. "I know what happens when you don't play by the rules."

The man smiled and opened the car door. "Get in."

She sighed and walked towards the car. Once she got in, the man immediately pulled out of the alley and began driving down the street, into the dark. "You have no idea what you are in for." He laughed, menacingly.

Amber put her hands into her jacket pocket, steeling herself as her fingers wrapped around the barrel of a gun. "Yeah", she whispered, "neither do you."

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><p><strong>Review.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

There was blood; so much blood. It seemed to poor endlessly from it's host. A jagged knife stuck out from the brutalized body on the floor.

There was a gun shot.

It landed straight in the chest.

But that wasn't enough.

Not nearly enough.

Even as the body collapsed onto the floor, the figure standing before it lunged. There was a knife on the table next to them and desperation caused the assailant to reach for it.

Tears blurred vision. Screams were ripped from throats.

The knife pierced skin.

One, two, five, ten, thirteen times before the figure stopped.

So much blood.

Shaky hands reached for the knobs to the sink and water poured from the spout, cleansing the hands, staining the sink a sickening red.

There was a strained cry from the floor inside the small hotel room and the figure before the sink turned towards the sound.

Three, four, steps and they were face to face; one bloody mass above the other. There was a sigh, one last puff of air as the last of the life was drained from the crumpled heap on the floor.

Eyes went wide and blood stained hands reached for the phone.

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><p>"Go home, Liv", said Cragen as he made his way towards her desk. "You've been here for over 48 hours. You need to get some sleep."<p>

Olivia ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "What if Amber comes back? What if she calls?"

"Then I'll notify you."

She was quiet for a few moments, willing her frustrated tears to stay at bay. "What if she's already dead?"

Cragen placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. "You don't know that she was there, Liv. She might not have been in the building when the blast went off."

Olivia bit her lip and one wayward tear made it down her cheek. "That's not what I mean." Because even if Amber hadn't been in the explosion, there was still a chance that she was hurt. She was involved in something and everyone who seemed to get in the way ended up on a slab. Just like Kelly Schertell, also known as Blondie. Olivia reached for the file on her desk, spilling out pictures and information on Amber and the other victims. "Has anyone notified the families?"

Cragen nodded. "Elliot talked to the Schertells this afternoon. He's home now; which is where you should be."

"And Clark?"

"Lawyered up after we got him on tipping off the guys down at the restaurant. Unless he talks he's going down for it all."

The bastard. He had raped and tortured innocent girls for almost twenty years. Amber hadn't been his first. She certainly wasn't his last. When he got tired of taking girls from the street he had moved to a more private source.

It was perfect; a build your own type of business. He paid, he got the girl. No questions asked.

He wasn't the only customer but the records had been destroyed in the fire. He wasn't talking without a plea but no one was thrilled about giving him one.

God help the poor bastard who has to defend him. This brand of scum made everyone's skin crawl. Olivia wanted nothing more than to take him into an interview room and unleash her fury.

Ten minutes, all she would need is ten minutes and she could get the answers she needed. Olivia chuckled to herself as she realized Elliot had rubbed off on her. She was tired of controlling her anger.

So tired.

Olivia felt Cragen stiffen behind her and she wanted to tell him that she was okay but she was just so exhausted. It took too much energy to speak; energy that could be spent finding Amber.

She just stared at the pages before her. She knew she should go home. She wouldn't be of use to anyone if she was exhausted but she couldn't bring herself to leave. She had to hang on to the hope that Amber was still alive, that she was out there somewhere and she was safe.

Well, as safe as she could be.

The phone on Olivia's desk rang and both she and Cragen jumped at the break in silence.

"Benson", answered Olivia into the phone. Her eyes went wide at the voice on the other end. "Amber, sweety where are you?"

There was silence on the other end and Olivia mouthed to Cragen to get a trace on the line.

"Amber?"

Nothing.

"Are you still there?"

Sobbing.

"Amber, please talk to me."

"Olivia?" She asked. She sounded so defeated.

"I'm here Amber. Where are you?"

"I need your help."

Olivia's blood went cold at the desperation in her voice. She looked over at Cragen, who nodded, signaling they had her location. Olivia took a deep breath, afraid to ask her next question. "What happened, sweety?"

Silence.

"Amber?"

More sobbing.

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

Olivia sighed in relief and was about to speak but stopped as the shaky voice on the other end continued.

"I did something bad."

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><p><strong>Review.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**I know its been forever since I updated. I would advise you to go back and reread the story before reading this chapter so it will make sense. Anyway, here is the final installment. **

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><p>"Amber", Olivia breathed in relief when she arrived at the hotel. Local cops had already shown up and had Amber in cuffs. She was covered in blood.<p>

"Is this really necessary?" Olivia asked as she pointed to the metal around Amber's wrists.

The uni rolled his eyes at the obvious answer. "Ma'am-"

"Detective", she stated harshly.

"Well detective, I'm afraid so. She already confessed to the murder and we have her covered in the victim's blood."

"Amber." Olivia couldn't believe her ears. She knew the facts but she didn't want to believe them. "Amber is that true?"

Amber's eyes were wet with tears and Olivia could see the fear and regret behind them. What she couldn't see, however, was remorse.

"He was never going to stop", she cried softly. "I asked him what happened, where he was taking all of the missing girls. That's when he told me about the fire." Her words were laced with anger but held a note of defeat. "Everyone, everything gone. They're all going to get away with it. I couldn't let him go too."

Olivia's heart dropped in her stomach. "Amber he could have given us names, lead us to the men that hurt you. We offered Clark a plea and he's going to give us the names of all the people involved." She held out her hand and placed it on Amber's shoulder. "It was going to be okay."

She shook her head, Olivia's words distant to her now. "It will never be okay. None of it." She sighed and looked to the ground. "I'm sorry Olivia. I did what I had to do." Amber looked up at the officer's holding her against the squad car. She stared them in the eyes and for once Olivia saw the glimmer of strength that still remained inside her. "Take me to jail."

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><p>The Clark case was slam dunk. He took a plea agreement of two years off for every conviction they made on the case. Thirty arrests, twenty-three convictions. At the end, Clark was looking at a sentence of eighteen years.<p>

The fire had destroyed everything in it's path. Records, witnesses, they were all gone. Twelve of the girls had not been there when the fire started but the second Clark made that phone call, the bodies started to drop. Of the twelve, only two survived.

Amber was convicted of man slaughter. No one had the heart to charge her with murder. She could have gotten off with involuntary man slaughter had she accepted a plea but she refused. She wanted to serve her time.

It broke Olivia's heart to hear of all she had seen, all she thought she could have stopped. She felt she deserved to go away for that at the very least.

"At least you know they can't hurt anyone else." Elliot's voice was distant and barely made it through the fog in Olivia's head.

"She was a child, a scared child and she wont take a plea because of something she only thinks she may have been able to stop."

"She's safe Liv."

Olivia scoffed. "Yeah, because prison is such a great place to be."

Her phone rang then, sending another chill down her spine. She wasn't ready for another case. For the first time in her life she was actually willing to take time off.

"Benson." Her eyes grew wide and a small smile splayed on her lips. "Yes. Really? How did you? Thank you Casey."

Elliot smiled back at her, glad for whatever small favor at the end of the phone. "Any good news?"

Olivia nodded. "They tried Amber as a juvenile. She'll serve her time in a facility for minors and be out at eighteen."

**End**

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><p><strong>By far the most difficult story I've ever written. I wanted to see if I could create a plot interesting enough to survive without an EO romance. Let me know if I succeeded? Review?**


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